Spring padded ironing devices



Dec. 7, 1965 H. o. ZEIDLER SPRING PADDED IRONING DEVICES Filed May 26, 1965 'IIIIIIZ'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII) INVENTOR Harold O. Zeldler BY W ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,221,426 SERING PADDED KRONING DEVHCES Harold O. Zeidler, l0 Erevoort Lane, Rye, N.Y. Fiied May 26, 1965, Ser. No. 458,985 4 Claims. (ill. 38-66) This invention relates to spring padded ironing devices especially such devices as are adapted for ironing shirts, blouses, coats and similar articles of apparel of the type which contain buttons.

In the U.S. Patents 2,708,322 and 2,708,460, a metal strip base containing a series of equally spaced, bifilary, helically wound spring coils, formed from a single wire, projecting equally from the common base, and the process of making such structures are disclosed. Such metal strips can be employed to form the basic structure of an ironing device as shown in said patents, by attaching a plurality of the strips, side by side, to a frame to provide a two dimensional array of springs, over which a wire mesh and a canvas cloth are stretched to provide the flexible surface of an ironing device. Other two dimensional arrays of springs are made by attaching an array of caps to a sheet of metal and securing the lower turn or turns of springs in each of said caps. In place of the wire mesh for covering the top of the springs to provide a surface fiat enough to avoid distortion of a fabric pressed against it, caps have also been applied to the tops of the springs which are held at the bottoms in the base sheet. The present invention relates to improvements in bucks formed from such two dimensional arrays of springs.

One reason for the success of such spring structures in ironing devices is that they provide the desired resistance to compression while at the same time, provide for a depth of compressability (not possible with any padded structure) which permits simultaneous pressing of large areas of fabrics where thicknesses differ in various parts of the area pressed.

Although such presses are capable of smoothing the fabric in the area surrounding the buttons and also of decreasing the breakage of such buttons, they do not completely eliminate breakage especially of the more fragile buttons. The wire mesh or the metal caps applied between the surface canvas of such ironing machines and the tops of the springs is necessary to prevent the formation of localized gaps within the spring coils and between adjacent springs of the array which would extend beoyond the canvas surface of the ironing device and onto the fabric being ironed. On the other hand, said wire mesh requires that greater force be applied to the button-containing area of a fabric to press the fabric immediately surrounding the button against the canvas pressing surface, with the result that plastic or more delicate buttons are often broken and/ or the fabric immediately surrounding the button is not adequately smoothed or ironed in the process. In addition, holes are frequently worn in the wire mesh after a certain number of button-containing cuffs or collars are ironed.

Among the objects of the present invention is to provide an ironing device with the required resistance to compression, which provides easy flow of heat from the interior to the surface and the desired depth of compression while at the same time being so constructed so as to avoid the breakage of buttons and similar projecting means attached to the fabric to be ironed or pressed and so as to iron the fabric area surrounding the buttons or similar projecting means.

This and other objects are obtained by constructing the ironing buck or similar device from the above described array of springs with, however, certain of the springs in the area where the button falls omitted. The

area where the springs are omitted is filled substantially to the same height as the springs with a compressible pad of elastomeric material. In devices where the area formed by the spring is covered by a wire mesh, said mesh is cut so as to overlap the edges of the elastomeric pad but not to cover the same. Where the springs are covered by individual caps, the elastomeric material is cut to fit closely into and substantially fill the region left open by omitting the springs.

The elastomeric material fitted into the region where the springs are omitted may be any elastomeric material capable of withstanding temperatures of about 280- 350 F. Examples of such materials include silicone and neoprene rubbers and foamed plastics such as polyurethan flexible foam. Preferably the insert is porous but some elastomeric materials are soft enough, per se, so that they can be substantially non-porous.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will be best understood from the following description of an exemplification thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical complete ironing device embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of a buck pad embodying the invention.

PEG. 3 is a cross-sectional view with a buck block inserted in the spring pad device.

FIG. 4 is a detail view of a portion of an elongated multiple spring strip from which the pad of FIGS. 2 and 3 may be manufactured.

FIG. 5 is a flattened, partial, detail view of the pad of the invention from the outer side, cut away to show the layers which make up the pad structure.

FIG. 1 discloses a device for ironing the two cuffs and a collar of a shirt simultaneously. Thus, the collar 41 of a shirt 40 is placed with the outer side up on the central buck 42. of the ironing device whereas the two cuffs 43 and 44 are placed on the left and right hand bucks 45 and 46 respectively with the outer side of the cuffs upward. Thereupon, the top ironing plate 47 is brought down so that the smooth surfaced concave plates 43, 49 and 50 heat and press the collar and cuffs against the bucks 35, 42 and 46 respectively. In the region of the buttons 51 and 52 for the cuffs and the button for the collar 41 (the latter button not showing as it is on the underside of the collar), the bucks are constructed as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 with the elastomeric pad beneath the button area whereby the button is depressed into the elastomeric pad during the pressing operation. In FIG. 1, the elastomeric inserts do not show since the entire surface of the buck pad is covered by additional fibrous padding and a canvas outer covering (see 24 of FIG. 3).

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the details of a buck pad made according to the invention with a surface which is curved in one direction. The surface of the ironing device of the invention may be substantially flat, or only slightly curved in one direction as long as one side region is constructed with an elastomeric pad replacing a portion of the springs. In each case where the ironing device is curved or flat, there is required a complementary ironing device, (part 48, 49 or 50 of FIG. 1) which fits tightly over the surface of the buck to press the fabric or garment to be ironed therebetween.

The devices shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are made from the multiple spring strips 10, as provided by the process of said Patent No. 2,708,460, each strip comprising a metal strip 11 on which are formed a plurality of coil springs 12. Each spring 12 has been described as a bitiliary helically wound coil spring which is to say that each spring comprises two connected coils helically wound in opposite directions. The springs 12 are secured to the strip 11 and simultaneously connected to each other by means of the extensions 13 which pass from the lower turn of one of the helical coils of a given spring around the strip 11 and connect to the lower turn of the oppositely wound coil of the next adjacent spring. Strips containing springs 12 can be cut to any length desired and are easily mounted on a base 21 by bending the strip 11 at the end as shown at 17. A plurality of said strips 10, mounted side by side as shown at the right in FIG. 5, provides an array or matrix of closely spaced springs 12. Arrays of springs formed in other Ways, such as described above, may be substituted for the arrays formed from strips 11.

One advantage of said spring arrays for ironing bucks is that said springs are all of uniform height to provide a spring matrix with an upper surface that is substantially fiat especially when covered with a wire mesh. According to the present invention, however, the springs from a certain predetermined region of the arrays are removed or omitted, and the region is filled with an elastomeric insert. Thus, in the form of device shown in FIGS. 3 the spring attached to strips 11-1 to 11-9, 11-12 and 11-13 are complete but the last several springs attached to strips 11-10 and 11-11 have been removed. In place of the removed springs, a silicone pad 23 has been inserted, said pad 23 has a thickness approximately equal to the height of the springs 12. The wire mesh 20 is cut to extend over all of the area covered by the springs and over the edge of the region fitted with said pad 2 3 but not over the central portion of said pad 23. As shown, the pad is rectangular in configuration but, depending on how many springs are omitted in the rows, the pad can be circular, oval or any other configuration so as to substantially fill the space left by the removed or omitted springs. In the device shown the strips 11 are secured to a flat, flexible metal sheet 21. Fabric padding may be placed between strips 11-10, 11-11 and silicone insert 23. Cutting the wire mesh 22 so as to partly extend over the edges of the pad 23 not only holds said pad in place but provides a path for steam to the layers of padding 24 immediately over the pad 23.

In the figures, the thickness of the wire mesh is exaggerated for clarity, but in the actual device, the outer surface of the canvas cover 24 is smooth and the rise in the cover 24 produced by the edge of mesh 211 is substantially imperceptible. The thickness of the silicone rubber layer is selected as to produce a substantially even surface with the Springs of rows 12-1 to 12-9, 12-12 and to 12-13. The silicone rubber pad or layer 23 may be solid or porous as desired and may also be perforated to increase its compressability. A supplemental pad 26 of less expensive material than silicone rubber may be provided at the underside of pad 23.

The device of FIG. 2 is suitably mounted on a supporting base such as shown at 30 in FIG. 3. The supporting base 30 contains one or more openings 31 through which steam may be introduced to heat the same. The edges of the device are sealed by a steam tight sheet 32. In the device shown, much of the ironing heat is provided by or through the concave ironing surfaces 48-50 of FIG. 1 and if any direct steam is applied, it can be applied through said ironing surface 48-50. It will be realized, however, that better ironing will be affected when the lower buck 30 is also heated.

In the operation of the device, the region over the silicone pad is the button pressing region, that is, the garment is applied to the device with the button or buttons thereof over the region above the silicone pad 23. The silicone pad provides SJi'fiClClllI resistance to pressure to provide the desired ironing effect, but at the same time, allows the buttons to sink into said pad so that the fabric surrounding the buttons will be pressed and so that the total pressing force applied to the pressing device is not concentrated on the buttons.

The features and principles underlying the invention described above in connection with specific exemplifications will suggest to those skilled in the art many other modifications thereof. It is accordingly desired that the appended claims shall not be limited to any specific feature or details thereof.

I claim:

1. A pressing device formed of a fiat to convex, essentially two dimensional base member having an array, in rows and columns, of coil springs of substantially equal height attached thereto to provide an upper surface, substantially matching the shape of the base member, of separately compressible, closely spaced coil springs, each compressible toward the base member,

an area intermediate the ends of said base member corresponding to the width of at least one row and the length of less than one row of springs from which said coil springs have been omitted,

a stiff mesh material extending over the area covered by said springs but being slotted in the area where said springs are omitted so as to cover only the edges of said area, and

an elastomeric pad mounted in the area from which said coil springs are omitted, so that the upper surface thereof is approximately level with the upper surfaces of the adjacent springs, the width and length of said pad being proportioned to extend underneath the edge portions of the slot of said mesh material.

2. A pressing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said base member is convex in cross-sectional shape to define an apex and two leg portions and wherein said area of omitted springs and said pad extend inwardly from an intermediate end portion of one of the legs.

3. A pressing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pad is formed of silicone rubber.

4. A pressing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pad is formed of porous silicone rubber.

References Eited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,976,576 10/1934 Patterson 3866 2,043,537 6/1936 Hamilton 3 8-66 2,504,352 4/ 1950 Robell 5 351 2,708,322 5/1955 De Frances 3 866 3,166,768 1/1965 Cunningham 5351 FOREIGN PATENTS 976,139 11/1964 Great Britain.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. 

4. A PRESSING DEVICE FORMED OF A FLAT TO CONVEX, ESSENTIALLY TWO DIMENSIONAL BASE MEMBER HAVING AN ARRAY, IN ROWS AND COLUMNS, OF COIL SPRINGS OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL HEIGHT ATTACHED THERETO TO PROVIDE AN UPPER SURFACE, SUBSTANTIALLY MATCHING THE SHAPE OF THE BASE MEMBER, OF SEPARATELY COMPRESSIBLE, CLOSELY SPACED COIL SPRINGS, EACH COMPRESSIBLE TOWARD THE BASE MEMBER, AN AREA INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF SAID BASE MEMBER CORRESPONDING TO THE WIDTH OF AT LEAST ONE ROW AND THE LENGTH OF LESS THAN ONE ROW OF SPRINGS FROM WHICH SAID COIL SPRINGS HAVE BEEN OMITTED, A STIFF MESH MATERIAL EXTENDING OVER THE AREA COVERED BY SAID SPINGS BUT BEING SLOTTED IN THE AREA WHERE SAID SPRINGS ARE OMITTED SO AS TO COVER ONLY THE EDGES OF SAID AREA, AND AN ELASTOMERIC PAD MOUNTED IN THE AREA FROM WHICH SAID COIL SPRINGS ARE OMITTED, SO THAT THE UPPER SURFACE THEREOF IS APPROXIMATELY LEVEL WITH THE UPPER SURFACES OF THE ADJACENT SPRINGS, THE WIDTH AND LENGTH OF SAID PAD BEING PROPORTIONED TO EXTEND UNDERNEATH THE EDGE PORTIONS OF THE SLOT OF SAID MESH MATERIAL. 